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Memo to Planning Commission/LU 00-6& ZC 00-7 <br /> May 22,2001 <br /> Page 2 <br /> Overview <br /> Background <br /> The City of Elk River,in cooperation with Cargill,is proposing a land use plan amendment <br /> and rezoning of Cargill's property that is located east of the Burlington Northern Railroad <br /> tracks or south of 165th Avenue and east of Highway 10/169.The proposal is to change the <br /> land use designation from LR (Low Density Residential) and LI (Light Industrial) to A <br /> (Agricultural) and rezone the property from Ria(Single Family Residential)and I1 (Light <br /> Industrial)to AR(Agricultural Research). Cargill's property west of the railroad tracks and <br /> north of 165th Avenue is not part of this request. <br /> The urban service boundary will also be adjusted so that the area to be rezoned is not part of <br /> the urban service area.The urban service boundary currently corresponds with the existing <br /> boundary between the I1 district and the R1a district east of the railroad tracks.The City is <br /> proposing to move the boundary to the west so that Cargill property east of the railroad <br /> tracks is not part of the urban service area. The property south of 165th Avenue is not <br /> currently part of the urban service area. <br /> The City and Cargill have been negotiating the status of Cargill's property for several years. <br /> Those discussions have also included the zoning of their property,and how to best define, <br /> for zoning purposes, the animal nutrition center, and whether any or all of it should be <br /> within the urban service district. As a result of those negotiations,the City is proposing a <br /> new zoning district AR(Agricultural Research)and new definition for animal,nutrition and <br /> • <br /> agricultural research that would apply to Cargill's property identified previously, The <br /> establishment of the AR district and definition for animal,nutrition and agricultural research <br /> are the subject of a separate, but related, request. <br /> Analysis <br /> The subject of this particular request is the land use plan amendment and zone change to <br /> implement the new AR zoning district.Cargill owns approximately 980 acres in southern Elk <br /> River (see attached map). Of those 980 acres, about 820 acres are the subject of the <br /> proposed rezoning and land use plan amendment.The urban service boundary will also be <br /> adjusted so that the property zoned AR is not within the urban service district. The <br /> remaining 160 acres are not included in this request and their current zoning and land use <br /> designation will not be changed. <br /> The Cargill property included as part of this request consists of crop fields,the nutrition <br /> center and 2 single family dwellings. Most of the property is used as crop fields; the two <br /> single family homes are occupied by Cargill employees and also function as caretaker <br /> residences. <br /> The proposed A (Agricultural Conservation) land use designation seems most appropriate <br /> because it fits best with Cargill's and the City's long range plans for this area.The long range <br /> plans are for continued agricultural use in the form of the animal,nutrition and agricultural <br /> • research center. The proposed land use designation is consistent with the Comprehensive <br /> Plan in that it will help preserve agricultural uses in the City, it will promote orderly <br /> S:\PLANNING\SCOTT\ZC007.DOC <br />